Power is determined by the size of your…bra

One of the biggest influences we can see throughout the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is the power women hold over men. Although most of the characters are male, they are always being dominated by female figures.

The clearest example of this is nurse Ratched, and the matriarchal society she runs inside the ward. Even though Doctor Spivey is the expert, he is not exempt from the nurse's power, and he still looks up to her and consults with her every decision he makes regarding the patients. The same can be said about the other workers at the hospital, including the black boys. Although their status of aides does mean that they are below the nurses, Kesey still makes it clear that they report to the Big Nurse, as can be seen in the following passage: "'Mr. Washington!... Come down here!' He puts his hands in his pockets and starts shuffling down the hall to her. He never walks very fast and I can see how if he don’t get a move in she might freeze him and shatter him all to hell by just looking." (pg. 87).

At this point in the novel, the only one bold enough to stand up to the nurse is McMurphy, and although he manipulated some of his ward mates to act up alongside him, even he was forced to back down. Everyone in the ward is scared of the Big Nurse, and although she clearly holds the most power over all the characters in the book, she is not the only one that does so. 

Another important female character that has made several appearances so far is Harding's wife. In this case, they also make reference to her attractive female qualities as a sign of a certain power that she is able to hold upon men. "He has also stated that his wife's ample bosom at times gives him a feeling of inferiority. So. Does anyone care to touch upon this subject further?" (pg. 39). This is a clear example of how the men in the ward are influenced by women's attributes, and how the size of a woman's breast is a sign of her superiority over them.